“It’s great that people are different from one another. We can inspire each other, make new discoveries, and find out what our own unique characteristics are. When we interact with a variety of people, we can learn from each other and grow as individuals. It’s important that we accept others’ differences and embrace them with an open heart and mind.

“But people have a tendency to use differences as an excuse to discriminate against others and conclude they cannot possibly understand one another.

“Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment in India, is recorded as saying: ‘I perceived a single, invisible arrow piercing the hearts of people.’ In a lecture I gave at Harvard University (in 1993), I suggested that this arrow is an unreasoning emphasis on individual differences.[1]

“Only when we remove that arrow from our hearts and accept others as fellow human beings can a beautiful rainbow of friendship extend from one heart to another.”